


On Thin Ice

by sparkinside (boomersoonerash)



Series: Reading Your Mind [1]
Category: Hanson (Band)
Genre: Affairs, Angst, Babies, Birthday, Canon Compliant, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Giving Birth, Hospitals, Infidelity, Love, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 14:01:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17204711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomersoonerash/pseuds/sparkinside
Summary: Zac feels like he may be on thin ice after the birth of Natalie and Taylor's son.





	On Thin Ice

**Author's Note:**

> Umm this was supposed to just be a fluffy one-shot on how Zac hated the new babies name inspired by some displeased fans I know but then it turned into angst.

Zac let out a small sigh as he paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room, knowing he probably looked like an idiot but he didn't care. The woman he loved, had been in love with for years was giving birth to his child and he couldn't be in the room with her so the best thing he saw fit was to pace.

It helped with the worries he had in his mind. Wondering if she was okay, if the labor was going okay but surely if it wasn't he'd have been told. Pam or Taylor would have came out and told him and at the thought of Taylor, Zac tried not to get upset.

Tried not to be angry that he was back there as Natalie gave birth. After all Taylor believed the baby was his, he was Natalie's husband and why would he assume that anyone else would be the father.

Why would Taylor suspect that his wife had cheated on him with someone else? 

He wouldn't and so he was clueless and had no idea that Zac was the father of the baby that Natalie was bringing into the world. He had no clue that Natalie had fudged her pregnancy by a week or so and it helped that this baby was a bit late. It helped to go along with the lie Natalie was telling.

A lie that Zac didn't want to go along with but he saw no other choice. Not when they both had families they had to protect, families that would be devastated by the affair they had started after Willa's birth. An affair that in the end had been a long time coming in Zac's opinion.

It should have always been him and Natalie and this was inevitable.

"Zac," a voice spoke and he nearly jumped as he turned to face Kate, his wife and a woman who was looking at him like he'd lost his mind. "Are you okay?" she asked softly as she rested a hand on his arm and it took all his restraint to keep from telling her that he wasn't alright.

That another woman, her best friend and his sister-in-law, was giving birth to his child and he couldn't be there for her. Not like he wanted to be. Not like he was always there for Kate in times like this when Kate had birthed their children.

"I...yeah," Zac said hating the way he stumbled over his words. "Just worried I guess, I mean Willa's birth wasn't the easiest for Natalie and then she and Taylor suffered that loss last year," he spoke and he frowned as he remembered Natalie's miscarriage last year.

Another baby that hadn't been Taylor's but of course it was their secret. They had a lot of those it seemed.

"And your concerned this is going to be hard on her as well?" Kate asked with a curious glance almost like she knew or suspected something more was going on but she hadn't figured it out fully.

Zac prayed she never would figure it out fully for his own sake. Knew if she did that everything would fall apart because there was now way Kate would just let it go once she knew. She'd take everything down and he really didn't want her to ruin Natalie or even Taylor who he loved despite what he was doing with his brother's wife.

He loved his brother..just not enough to stop sleeping with his wife. Not enough to stop an affair that was always bound to happen.

"Yeah," Zac admitted and at least that was the truth. It was a truth he felt safe in admitting at least for now.

Kate nodded though she still had that curious look on her face. "You're too sweet Zachary," she told him as she took her hand off his arm. "Concerned about the welfare of your niece or nephew and Natalie," she spoke with a small smile before walking back to the chairs. "Makes me wish you showed that much concern about me when I was the one actually having your babies," she added on and Zac had to roll his eyes.

Leave it to Kate to make a remark like that. To remind him how much he failed her every damn day and maybe that was one reason he had strayed from his marriage finally.

He was tired of Kate's nagging and if she wanted a reason to call him names he'd give her one. Even if she could never know about it.

That and Natalie treated him better than his own wife did. Loved him more than he was sure Kate ever had loved him, even if Natalie also still loved Taylor.

It was apparent to him she did which was why he never asked her if she loved him more. He didn't want to know, didn't want to be hurt if Natalie said she didn't love him more. 

Knew he'd never be okay with being second place in Natalie's heart when that woman was his world.

Before Zac could say anything more to Kate though he watched as he saw Taylor coming into the waiting room, a grin on his face and he knew just from that grin the baby was here.

Natalie had given birth to their child.

"It's here," Taylor said as he stopped in front of where Zac was. "The baby...it..he is here," he said and Zac couldn't help the grin on his face either.

The baby was a boy. He and Natalie shared a son.

"Congratulations Taylor," Zac told him as he did his best to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. "I bet he is beautiful," he said and he meant that.

The baby probably was beautiful and he hoped to god that it resembled Natalie. That somehow it didn't resemble him at all.

"He is," Taylor nodded his head and Zac hated the guilt he felt at how proud Taylor looked when he talked about the baby. "He's so beautiful and the perfect addition to the family," he said with a shake of his head, his hand running down the length of his beard. "Nat though, she asked to see you. Said she knew you and Kate had been waiting out here for so long and she wanted to see you first..show you the baby," he told him and not once did he seem or sound suspicious.

Zac knowing that Taylor it seemed thought nothing of that request, though when he turned to look at Kate he was once again faced with a curious look on her face and he knew despite everything somehow Kate did indeed know something was off.

But again he prayed she never found out what.

"And Pam is still back there?" Zac asked as he turned back to look at Taylor, not sure how him seeing Natalie would be if her mother was still back in the room.

He was pretty sure Pam had no idea about them, that Natalie hadn't confessed her affair to her mother. The affair and the paternity of the baby were their secrets.

Just theirs and no one else's.

Taylor shook his head, "No, she went down to the cafeteria to get food. We didn't get a chance to eat since Natalie's labor started right before Christmas dinner," he laughed as he made a face. "Leave it to my child to interrupt Christmas," he teased and the teasing made Zac have a slight pang in his chest.

Because no, leave it to his child...his son to start his arrival on Christmas in the middle of the festivities. It was a very Zachary Hanson spawn thing to do.

"I'm going to go join her so when you go back to see Nat, tell her that is where I went," Taylor added on and before Zac could say anything Taylor was gone in a flash leaving him alone in the waiting room with Kate.

Taking one last look at her before heading to Natalie's room, Zac was glad to see her on the phone, probably texting his family to let them know the baby was here and he was sure soon the hospital would be full of Hanson's. It was just always how things went when a new baby was born, his family crowded the hospital.

Without saying anything Zac turned on his heel and headed down to Natalie's room. Only pausing when he made it to the door and when he got there he had to take a breath, trying to do away with his nerves before going into the room but he wasn't sure that would do any good.

He'd just be nervous after all he was seeing another one of his children for the first time.

Running a hand through his messy hair Zac finally walked into the room, watching as Natalie who was holding the baby in her arms looked up. A smile on her face and Zac swore in that moment she'd never looked more beautiful, even if she would have objected.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come back here," Natalie spoke as she continued to eye him when he stepped farther in the room. "I know..I mean this is hard for you," she said like she knew how hard it was for him to pretend this was nothing more than just a new nephew for him.

She more than likely did know because this had to be hard for her too. To pretend this was just another child with Taylor when it wasn't his baby.

"It's my son," Zac told her once he made it to the bed. "Of course I'd come back here to see the little brat that put a cramp in everyone's Christmas plans," he teased as he took in the baby in Natalie's arms.

He had a head full of dark hair, not that Zac expected anything different from a child between him and Natalie and the chubbiest cheeks he'd ever seen..a trait he knew the baby had gotten from him. All of his babies had chubby cheeks when they had been newborns.

This one was no different.

Natalie laughed softly, "He's a Hanson of course he was going to be a troublemaker from the beginning," she said before looking down at the boy in her arms again. "Do you want to know his name?" she asked like she already knew the answer.

"Did you really just ask me that Nat?" Zac questioned with his own laugh. "Of course I want to know the name."

"I don't know. I know some people hate our name choices," Natalie said and Zac knew what she meant. The fans always criticized the names they chose for their kids. "But his name is Claude Indiana Emmanuel," she told him and Zac did his best to control his face at that name.

Not wanting to be like one of their fans but that was kind of awful and he wasn't sure he wanted his son saddled with that name. But he couldn't object, not when his name wouldn't be listed as the father on the birth certificate.

He was just little Claude's uncle...god Claude was such an awful name.

"You hate it," Natalie said after a few minutes of his silence. "You hate the baby's name."

"I don't hate it," Zac lied as he moved to sit down on the edge of the bed, holding his arms out for the baby who Natalie handed over. "He just doesn't look like a Claude," he muttered out as the baby opened his eyes and looked up at him and of course the baby had dark eyes.

He wasn't sure Natalie would ever have a light eyed child, even if Zac was capable of having blue eyed children. 

"Claude was Taylor's idea," Natalie told him and Zac wasn't shocked. "It's a nod to Leon Russell..of course he just couldn't use Leon. Indiana was my choice and Emmanuel was one we came up with together...for the holiday season."

"Well he doesn't look like an Emmanuel either," Zac retorted as he kept eyeing the baby in his arms, smiling when the baby reached its hand up and Zac found a way to move one of his hands. Letting his index finger rest in the baby's hand.

"Taylor is set on Claude," Natalie said and Zac shook his head because he had said the baby didn't look like a Claude.

"No," Zac stated adamantly and his voice made Natalie lock eyes with him. "My son is not a Claude or an Emmanuel," he told her knowing he shouldn't be this firm over a baby he wasn't going to raise. "He fits Indiana or Indy more than the other two and it's the better name to be stuck with," he said watching as Natalie looked conflicted.

Zac knowing she was going to have a time getting Taylor to change his mind but he didn't care.

"I know I can't raise him Natalie but please let me have a say in this bit," Zac said hating how pleading his tone was. He had always hated begging and yet here he was begging.

Begging to have a hand in the naming of his own damn child.

"O..okay," Natalie agreed though it was reluctant. "I'll see what I can do," she told him and after she said that a silence fell over them. 

Zac holding the baby for a bit longer before handing him back over to Natalie. 

Standing from the bed Zac reached into his pocket for his cell phone, quickly snapping a picture once he had his phone in hand and he almost wished he were allowed to use it as background or even as his lock screen but he knew he couldn't. 

Knew it would only arouse more suspicion in Kate.

"You better go so Kate can come back here," Natalie sighed as if she knew he had been thinking about Kate. 

Nodding his head Zac leaned down as he left a kiss on Natalie's forehead, "I wish I could stay back here," he whispered knowing he wanted to have all the experiences he had with his other children. "It's not...it sucks."

"I know it does," Natalie told him as she looked up at him with regret in her eyes. "But this is what we chose when we chose to keep this baby Zac. We chose a plan that wasn't going to be easy," she reminded him.

Zac remembering that they had both made the pact to never tell a soul. To let things just go like they were and let everyone believe a lie for the sake of both families.

"I know but it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt," Zac frowned slightly as he felt another lump in his throat. "Though I don't regret that we kept Indy," he said testing out the nickname even if Taylor hadn't agreed to using the name Indiana yet. "After the miscarriage there was no way I'd let you get rid of him," he stated knowing their surprise pregnancy last year had hurt them both when she lost it.

Zac knowing he couldn't have asked her to get rid of the baby that was now in her arms even though she had tossed the idea around to save them both this very thing. The unfairness of this situation.

"I don't regret it either," Natalie told him sounding certain of her words and her words at least helped him some. Knowing she didn't have regrets. That she didn't wish she had chosen to get rid of their baby...their son.

Giving her a sad smile Zac kissed her forehead once more before finally leaving her room so that he could send Kate back to see the baby and hoping that once again Kate didn't find anything suspicious about this. 

Though he was afraid that he was on thin ice. That somehow soon the ice would crack and ruin everything. Ruin all the lies that he and Natalie had so easily decided to go along with.


End file.
